You Eat 92% Of Everything You Put On Your Plate

Here’s some food for thought: The average adult eats 91.7% of the food that we put on our plates, finds a study out of the Columbia University’s Food and Brand Lab in New York City.

Researchers analyzed 1179 adult diners in 8 developed countries—the United States, Canada, France, Taiwan, Korea, Finland, and the Netherlands—and found the same results. According to the study published in the International Journal of Obesity, people are likely to eat 92.8% of meals compared to 76.1% of snacks that we plate up. And it turns out that mindful eating doesn’t help us eat any less: Even when not distracted, 97.1% of the food was still consumed.

Why the crazy high numbers? Researchers say it's because we’re aware of know how much we want to eat, and therefore put that amount on the plate. In other words, the only way to stop eating large quantities of food is to stop dishing them out. Here are a couple tips to help with that:

Plan meals ahead of time. According to a meta-analysis that also appears in the International Journal of Obesity, a little planning prior to eating can help control portions better since it helps determine the amount of food you eat before you get hungry. It also takes away the power of external cues like marketing and hunger.

Think before you spoon. If you want to eat less, put less on your plate. This study shows that thinking you won’t eat the whole thing isn’t going to happen.